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Dirk Garthwaite (Earth-616)
WRECKER Real Name: Dirk Garthwaite Nicknames: No known nicknames Former Aliases: No known former aliases Other Current Aliases: No other known current aliases Occupation: Professional criminal, former manual laborer Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with a criminal record Identity: Publicly known Marital Status: Marital status unknown Group Affiliation: Leader of the Wrecking Crew, Masters of Evil IV Base of Operations: Base of operations unknown Place of Birth: New York City Known Relatives: No known relatives First Appearance: THOR #148 Origin: Origin unknown. History: Dirk Garthwaite was a manual laborer employed by a demolitions company who was fired for his antisocial behavior and fits of violence. Deciding to turn his talent for mayhem and destruction to criminal activity, Garthwaite fashioned himself a simple costume to conceal his identity. He then committed a series of crimes under the name of the Wrecker, his trademark being the crowbar with which he devastated the scene of the crime. The Wrecker became more daring with each theft, and continually evaded the attempts of the police to capture him. Seeking another victim to rob, the Wrecker happened upon a hotel room occupied by Loki, the Asgardian god of evil, whose magical powers had at that time been temporarily removed by the Asgardian monarch Odin. The Wrecker smashed his way in while Loki was in the midst of summoning his sometime ally Karnilla the Norn Queen. Loki hoped that Karnilla would grant him magical power with which he could battle his archenemy Thor, the Asgardian thunder god. The Wrecker overpowered Loki. Then, while trying on Loki's horned helmet, the Wrecker was mistaken for the god when Karnilla hastily materialized to grant Loki's request. Thus it was the Wrecker whom Karnilla endowed with magical power. This power gave the Wrecker superhuman strength, which he used to embark upon a brazen wrecking spree, no longer fearing the authorities. The Wrecker's rampage came to the attention of Thor, whose power had also been diminished at the time by Odin's spell. The Wrecker battled Thor for hours and finally bested the partially depowered god. But the Wrecker was finally overcome by the Destroyer, a virtually invincible Asgardian automaton that was at this time animated by the spirit of the Asgardian goddess Sif. The Wrecker was imprisoned under heavy sedation (to prevent him from using his superhuman strength) in an upstate New York hospital for several months, but developed an immunity to the tranquilizers and broke free. The Wrecker once again battled Thor, who now again possessed his full godly power, and overcame him. Thrown upon the electrified third rail of a New York City subway track, the Wrecker had his superhuman strength drained from him by a discharge of energy from Thor's enchanted hammer. The Wrecker was imprisoned, but he paid people to keep track of the whereabouts of his crowbar, into which he believed his enchanted power had fled after being driven from his body. Together with three other inmates at Ryker's Island Prison, Dr. Eliot Franklin, Henry Camp, and Brian Phillip Calusky, the Wrecker made a successful jailbreak and managed to locate his crowbar. Willing to share his power with his allies, the Wrecker had the three other convicts join him in holding onto the crowbar outside during an electrical storm. Lightning struck the crowbar, magically distributing the enchanted strength bestowed upon the Wrecker among the four of them. The Wrecker's three allies then adopted costumes and aliases as well: Franklin became Thunderball, Camp became Bulldozer, and Calusky became Piledriver. Together the four superhumanly strong criminals became known as the Wrecking Crew, who were led by the Wrecker himself. The Wrecking Crew then terrorized New York City by threatening to destroy buildings unless they were paid enormous sums of money, and then carrying out their threat when they were not paid. The Crew set out to recover the gamma bomb that Eliot Franklin (Thunderball) had built some years before and that had been stolen from him by Edgar Pennysworth of Richmond Enterprises. The Crew intended to use this bomb to blackmail New York City, but their scheme was thwarted by the superhuman champions called the Defenders, who defeated the Crew. The members of the Wrecking Crew were each taken to a different prison. One of the Defenders, the sorcerer Doctor Strange, had mystically banished the Wrecker's crowbar to another dimension, but it was recovered sometime later by the Puppet Master, who used his mystically powered clay to coerce the Wrecker into battle with the Fantastic Four. The Wrecker easily escaped custody after his defeat by the Fantastic Four and spent the next few weeks traveling from one penitentiary to another, freeing the rest of the Wrecking Crew. In order to reestablish their credibility as dangerous criminals, the Crew decided to take on the Wrecker's original nemesis Thor and to defeat him publicly. But instead the Crew were defeated at Avengers Mansion by Captain America and Iron Fist, aided by "Danger Room" equipment that was being utilized in the Avengers' gymnasium before being turned over to the X-Men. The Wrecking Crew were incarcerated once again at Ryker's island. The Wrecker's crowbar was placed in the same room at Riker's as other impounded weapons taken from so-called "super-criminals." By concentrating on the crowbar from his specially designed cell, the Wrecker was finally able to take mental control of a prison guard who touched the crowbar. Under his control, the guard broke into the Wrecker's cell using the crowbar. The Wrecker then freed the rest of the Crew from their cells end they escaped prison. The Crew began wreaking havoc at New York City's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in order to bring Thor to the scene. But Thor defeated the Crew, and all but Thunderball were taken into police custody. Later, the Wrecker and the rest of the Wrecking Crew were transported to the world created by the alien Beyonder to take part in the first of the so-called "secret wars". Sometime after returning to Earth, the Wrecking Crew clashed with Spider-Man and the second Spider-Woman. The Wrecker and the rest of the Wrecking Crew afterwards joined Baron Helmut Zemo's Masters of Evil and participated in his takeover of Avengers Mansion. In battling Masters of Evil Thor used his enchanted hammer to transfer the superhuman powers of Bulldozer, Piledriver, and Thunderball into the Wrecker. The Wrecker was defeated along with the other Masters of Evil. His current whereabouts and activities are unknown. Height: 6'3" Weight: 320 lbs (145 kg) Eyes: Blue Hair: Brown Unusual Features: No unusual features Strength Level: The Wrecker possesses superhuman strength that enables him to lift (press) about 40 tons. Previously, when sharing his superhuman power with the other three members of the Wrecking Crew, the Wrecker could lift (press) about 10 tons. Known Powers: The Wrecker possesses superhuman strength and a high degree of imperviousness to harm, as a result of the magical power bestowed upon him by Karnilla the Norn Queen. The enchantment augmented his entire body, strengthening his bone, muscle, and flesh. The Wrecker is capable of withstanding the impact of a .45 caliber bullet without it penetrating his skin. The Wrecker has established a mental link with his enchanted crowbar. In the past when the Wrecker has lost his superhuman powers, the power has transferred itself into the crowbar. By making physical contact with the crowbar, the Wrecker can transfer the power back into himself. Also, by touching the crowbar, the Wrecker can magically transform whatever he is wearing into his costume. By concentrating on the crowbar, the Wrecker can use it to take mental possession of whoever touches it, and cause an enchanted aura that can repel bullets to surround that person. After first gaining his superhuman powers, the Wrecker was able to teleport individuals to Asgard from Earth and to create waves of force about him that could deflect bullets. It is not known whether the Wrecker is still capable of these feats. Known Abilities: No known abilities. Equipment: No known equipment. Transportation: No known transportation. Weapons: The Wrecker wields a four-foot long cast iron crowbar which has become virtually indestructible through extensive contact with the Wrecker's enchanted skin. Wielded by the superhumanly strong Wrecker, the crowbar becomes a weapon of vast destructive potential. The Wrecker has used the crowbar to demolish entire buildings in minutes and to hold off the thunder god Thor in battle. The Wrecker has used the crowbar offensively as both a throwing weapon and a bat. Notes: No special notes. ---- Related Articles: ---- External Links: ---- References: * Marvel Directory ---- Return to Character Selection ----